On June 20, 2019 I (Sean) went to the Turks and Caicos Islands to serve, train and equip the brand new national board for Child Evangelism Fellowship TCI! As usual, I took the early morning flight out of Montgomery, AL’s regional airport (MGM). Since the city of Montgomery is relatively small and many people seem to feel in their minds that BHM and ATL are worth the time, effort, city traffic, potential road work, potential accident slowdowns, mileage on their vehicles, extra gas, parking fees, extra meals, and hotel stays (cough cough I have strong feelings about this 🙂 cough cough), I at times will see people that I know flying in out of MGM! There are only so many planes per day in and out of MGM after all. And this trip was no different, on my exact morning flight was one of our long-time friends from Heritage Baptist Church – Prattville!

This was a short trip (three nights/four days total, inclusive of travel time) but by God’s grace and for His glory it was by far one of the most fruitful and productive times of ministry in Turks and Caicos ever. Praise the Lord!

First, we had a great surprise a few weeks before the training to be given the gift of free access to use the Ocean Club Resort Conference Room for the CEF TCI national board training! This gave us a very professional environment to conduct the training that was also in a neutral location (vs doing the training in a specific church). The first night fifteen people came out to be a part of re-launching CEF in the TCI!

A major first task for the newly trained board is that CEF in TCI needs to be registered with the government of Turks and Caicos, so please pray that this will happen quickly. There is a large amount of paperwork that has to be done to ensure all of the non-profit organizational laws are followed for the country. This of course is no issue for CEF, but this process simply takes time. But until CEF is officially registered, the ministry will be limited.

Aside from the board training, it was a blessing to be back in Turks and Caicos where we have lived as a family, have friends and where we know the island so well.

Construction of a major new resort in Grace Bay (The Ritz-Carlton) is well underway.

However, on a personal note, my main takeaway from the trip (separate from the board training of course!) was quite contemplative. A dear brother & friend always tells me: “Welcome home” whenever I see him in Turks & Caicos. He told me that again when I saw him in church on that Sunday of the trip.

This multi-island country has been a part of our lives for six years if you count from when we stepped out in faith with the calling to go help set up CEF there. We may have only actually lived there on island a year, but TCI is fully intertwined with the story of our lives. We have a strong church home, lifelong friends, a great community and we know nearly every square inch, back road and local spots of each of the main inhabited islands. We have positive relationships with each of the primary schools in TCI and some of the children first reached through CEF TCI are in high school now.

We are grateful for God’s perfect plan and timing. Some of the results and fruit we are now beginning to see with the national board re-established we wish we could have seen when we lived there but His ways are higher than our ways. There were lessons we needed to learn so that we would fully depend on Him. Thankful for the fact that we have these multiple ‘homes,’ and so grateful for all the wonderful people and friends in TCI that we wish we could see more often and spend more time with. It is hard to only see these folks for a few moments for these short trips. I am so grateful for this local friend who always tells me this, as it is more life-giving to my heart and soul than he probably realizes.

Praise the Lord with us for this new national board, pray for them as they register CEF with the TCI government, and pray for these local leaders as they help reach every child on every island of the great nation of Turks & Caicos!

March 16-25 I (Sean) was back “home” in the Turks and Caicos Islands! In all my trips back since we lived there, it is always amazing to me how easy it is to pick back up immediately with where I left off. Turks and Caicos does truly feel like home, just as much as St. Kitts and Nevis still does. It is hard to explain, but there is simply no adjustment period, not even a temporary adjustment of the feeling of driving on the other side of the road anymore! From culture, to navigating my way around, to food, to local friends, to church family….it is seamless, just like if I was spending the week down in south Alabama at my parents house or something. It feels the same to me.

As before in previous years, we partnered with CEF of South Dakota to reach out to the public primary schools in four islands: Providenciales, North Caicos, Middle Caicos and South Caicos.

L-R Sean Miller, Kendra Baltzer, Hannah Cleveland, Bailey Pietz and Elijah Hamilton

However, what was very different about this year was that we had a local friend, Cathy Henfield, join us and teach alongside us! Everything we do as missionaries is centered on raising up local leadership in the Caribbean nations we serve, so this was a huge praise the Lord and answer to prayer for someone local in TCI to do this.

We went to four primary schools in Providenciales, including Precious Treasures International School that Maddy attended for Kindergarten!

Two schools in North and Middle Caicos

and we returned to our friends in South Caicos!

It was surprising to see the extent of the great needs still there in Turks and Caicos stemming from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. To be clear, the nation is fully open for tourism but the primary schools and many local homes still have great repair needs that will take months to rebuild.

During the hurricanes we kept in close contact with the school principals and CEF contacts there in TCI, and we sent nearly 1,000 Do You Wonder Why? CEF booklets to various schools in TCI after Irma and Maria. These were used in conjunction with other disaster recovery efforts and each of the principals expressed great appreciation for how the booklets helped the children emotionally and spiritually process the great destruction to their island home.

Being there in person to share in the classrooms and with after-school Easter Party Clubs was encouraging to the teachers and principals, as we stood with them during the storm, we went to each school and prayed over the school and the teachers, and we continue to come to reach out to the children.

CEF is not a flash in the pan ministry, nor do we believe in drive-by evangelism nor believe in any sort of Americanized short-term ministry that does more harm than help. We have long-lasting relationships with schools, local leadership and local churches that we network together for the sake of the children. We have firmly planted national leadership in nearly every country of the Caribbean, and in nations like Turks and Caicos we are working hard towards there being a thriving national chapter established with a national CEF office and local board of directors.

Every Child, Every Island, Every Day!

Here is a short story about a trusty barrel that has been back and forth five times between three countries over five years.

It’s a little corny, but I had to say goodbye to this barrel as it fulfilled its final purpose of bringing over 200lbs of CEF materials to be cleared in Turks and Caicos that was distributed freely to local churches. Just a reminder of the life we have lived in three different nations and all the emotions that go along with it.

We held a teacher training for Turks and Caicos churches and distributed a year’s worth of brand-new CEF curriculum for them to use in Good News Clubs and in their local church’s children’s ministry! That evening 41 people were trained from 13 different churches and during the week we were on island a total of 20 different churches received a full set of curriculum!

All in all, by God’s grace and for His glory 1,830 kids were reached, with 444 of those 1,830 children coming to an after-school Easter Party Club. In total there were 9 of the Easter Party Clubs that took place in 8 of the schools.

Last but not least, two other cool “God” stories to share!

First, I met Tammarra Forbes! She was part of the class of Spring 2008 at Moody Bible Institute (where I graduated with my undergrad May 2015 and currently attend for my Master of Divinity). She teaches 3rd and 4th grade in North Caicos, she saw CEF on our t-shirts and remembered CEF from her time in Chicago, IL!

Second, our first Sunday at Harvest Bible Chapel – Turks and Caicos Islands, TCI the church prayed for HBC-Orangewalk, Belize! One of the four CEF teams served there just a few weeks ago and HBC Orangewalk was one of the local church partners!

It is such a small world and these connections with all our friends across the Caribbean is one of the many things we love about what we get to do!

“Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare His praise in the islands.” Isaiah 42:12

March 31-April 9 we partnered in short-term ministry with CEF of South Dakota to share the message of hope with 2,079 children in the Turks & Caicos Islands! We were able to reach out with the true meaning of Easter the week before schools in TCI let out for a two week Easter break.

Something that we are very passionate about with short-term ministry is the vital importance of the local church in the local community. We go with the primary goal of helping the local people reach the local children. So we rejoice in saying that we partnered in ministry with 21 local churches and 20 local churches received CEF curriculum! Also, 28 local Bible teachers from nine local churches were trained at a CEF teacher training at Bethany Baptist Church Monday night.

We were able to reach out to every public primary school in the islands of Providenciales, North Caicos, Middle Caicos and South Caicos!

Ianthe Pratt Primary School

Oseta Jolly Primary School

Enid Capron Primary School

Doris Robinson Primary School

Hubert James Primary School

Iris Stubbs Primary School

Neat story about our time in South Caicos, one of the teachers is from Jamaica and has family in St. Kitts! Such a small world.

We also ministered in two private primary schools in Provo and South.

Precious Treasures International School

Calvary Christian Preschool

Interestingly enough the principal at CCP (below) trained with CEF forty years ago in Jamaica. It was a special privilege to encourage each of the principals at each of the schools with an appreciation gift!

Last but not least we were able to bless another private primary school (The B.E.S.T. Institute) with teacher appreciation gifts (including the book “What is the Gospel?” by Greg Gilbert), and 60-Day Wonder Devotional Books for the children.

Through this trip we were able to share the hope of Jesus Christ with 2,079 children! Of those children, 343 kids came to after-school Easter Party Clubs.

2,084 60-Day devotionals handed out to children

197 Meet the King booklets given to children

4 islands, three of those islands having the very first CEF ministry ever

South Caicos Docks

79 Christian books given to primary school teachers through partnership with The Gospel Coalition International Outreach

One of the most exciting things was that after the teacher training Monday night, two individuals came up to us and asked how they could be a part of leading the local ministry there in TCI. Will you pray for them and pray for me as I continue to share with them the process for coming on staff and the next steps they need to take?

We could not have done this without another great team from CEF of South Dakota. Brittani, Kendra, Winter and Annalise were fantastic, flexible and never complained about anything the entire trip. They were a blessing and encouragement to everyone they met and the children loved interacting with them and hearing them share about the love, hope and joy found in Jesus Christ alone. We are very thankful to Leanne Higgs from Harvest Bible Chapel TCI who was gracious in letting the team stay with her!

All Glory to Jesus Christ for all that HE has done!